Meet the artist who won 3 Grammys without selling a single physical copy of his album

Why Chance The Rapper made history last night with Coloring Book

You’ve heard of him: the 23-year-old rapper from Chicago who released his gospel-fuelled rap sermon exclusively on Apple Music, to over 57 million streams in the first week (putting him at No 8 on the Billboard 200). We put Coloring Book on our list of the best albums of 2016. In fact, Chance has been featured on a lot of 2016 album lists, and a lot of lists since 2011 (including a GQ cover – sometimes for his solo works, sometimes for his social activism, sometimes for his collaborations with the likes of Childish Gambino, Lil B and Kanye West.

Then, last night, he made history and won three Grammys.

It’s not a significant number. Adele won all five gramophones she was nominated for, including the big ones: Album, Record and Song Of The Year. Beyoncé, nominated for a record nine, took home two. David Bowie posthumously grabbed five, his first wins since 1985.

Nominated seven times (including as a collaborator on Ye’s “Famous” and “Ultralight Beam”, in which Chance firmly asserts his presence in the big leagues), the rapper won for Best Rap Performance (“No Problem”, featuring Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz), Best New Artist (beating out Anderson .Paak and the Chainsmokers) and Best Rap Album (over Ye, Drake, DJ Khaled, De La Soul and Schoolboy Q). And, in doing so, set a new precedent.

It’s the first time in Grammys history that an album released through unconventional means (no physical album, no label to represent him) has won. Chance’s wins – hell, his nominations alone – highlight an effort by the Recording Academyto catch up to a new era: where we turn to our Apple Musics, Spotifys and Tidals for our tunes over near-mythical CD stores (#RIPRhythmHouse).

Come to think of it, the biggest winner of the night, because of this indie rapper, might’ve just been Soundcloud.